Chapter 3
1528 Words
The next morning, Ava woke before her alarm.
For a few seconds, she lay perfectly still, listening to the familiar sounds of the apartment. Chloe was already in the kitchen, humming off-key as cabinets opened and closed. Someone upstairs dropped something heavy. Oliver, the orange cat from downstairs, let out a dramatic meow from outside the building, demanding breakfast from anyone willing to listen.
It felt like every other Thursday.
Except it didn’t.
She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
The anniversary dinner should have left her feeling happy. Instead, she couldn’t stop replaying little moments in her mind.
“You look nice.”
“Don’t overthink everything.”
The way Mason had stared at the engraved watch before closing the box.
None of those things were terrible on their own.
Together, they settled in her chest like a stone.
She reached for her phone on the nightstand.
There was a message from Mason.
Good morning. Busy day today. Talk later. Love you.
Ava smiled faintly and typed back.
Good luck with your meeting. Love you too.
She set the phone down and climbed out of bed.
The smell of cinnamon greeted her as she walked into the kitchen.
Chloe looked up from the stove.
“I made French toast.”
“You never make French toast on weekdays.”
“I know.”
Ava leaned against the counter.
“Should I be suspicious?”
“Always.”
They both laughed.
Chloe slid a plate onto the table before sitting across from her.
“So…”
“So?”
“How are you really?”
Ava cut into the toast.
“I’m fine.”
“Liar.”
“I slept.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Ava sighed.
“I don’t know.”
Chloe waited.
She never rushed Ava when something was bothering her.
“I just feel like…” Ava searched for the right words. “Like he’s somewhere else.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Maybe I’m imagining things.”
“You’ve said that three times.”
“What?”
“‘Maybe I’m imagining things.’”
Ava frowned.
“I have?”
Chloe nodded.
“When someone says that over and over, it’s usually because they’re trying to convince themselves.”
The room grew quiet.
Finally, Ava smiled.
“I really hate when you’re right.”
“I know.”
“But I’m still hoping I am imagining it.”
Chloe reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
“I hope so too.”
⸻
The nursing lab was unusually busy that afternoon.
Students moved between hospital beds practicing blood pressure readings while instructors corrected techniques.
Ava tied her hair back before joining her assigned partner, Emily.
“Ready?” Emily asked.
“As I’ll ever be.”
“You seem distracted today.”
“I didn’t sleep much.”
Emily smiled sympathetically.
“Relationship stuff?”
Ava looked surprised.
“How did you know?”
“You keep checking your phone.”
She hadn’t even realized she was doing it.
Embarrassed, Ava slipped the phone into her backpack.
“Sorry.”
“No need to apologize.”
Emily wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Ava’s arm.
“My boyfriend gets weird whenever work gets stressful.”
“Mason’s interviewing for an internship.”
Emily nodded knowingly.
“That explains it.”
“You think?”
“Absolutely.”
She finished pumping the cuff.
“Guys get inside their own heads.”
Ava wanted to believe that.
Maybe this was all stress.
Maybe once the interview was over, everything would feel normal again.
The thought brought enough relief that she smiled for the first time all afternoon.
“There you are,” Emily said.
“What?”
“That smile.”
Ava laughed.
“I didn’t realize it disappeared.”
“It did.”
⸻
After class, Ava walked across campus toward the café where she worked three afternoons a week.
The Willow Bean sat just off the edge of campus, tucked between a bookstore and a flower shop.
It wasn’t fancy.
The tables didn’t match.
The menu board had one corner held together with tape.
But it smelled like fresh coffee and warm pastries, and somehow that made every shift feel a little better.
“You’re late,” Denise called from behind the counter.
“Three minutes.”
“I noticed.”
“I’m sorry.”
Denise smiled.
“I’m kidding.”
She handed Ava an apron.
“You’ve got register today.”
For the next several hours, customers came and went in a steady stream.
Students ordered oversized iced coffees before study sessions.
Professors stopped in for their usual drinks.
One elderly man came every Thursday afternoon and ordered the same black coffee he’d been drinking for years.
Ava liked routines.
They made the world feel predictable.
Around five o’clock, the bell above the café door chimed.
Mason walked in.
Ava’s face brightened immediately.
“What are you doing here?”
He smiled.
“I was nearby.”
Denise noticed the look on Ava’s face.
“Take five.”
“I still have customers.”
“I’ve got them.”
Ava slipped out from behind the counter.
“You didn’t have to come all the way over here.”
“I know.”
He handed her a small paper bag.
“Thought you might be hungry.”
She peeked inside.
Her favorite blueberry muffin.
“You remembered.”
“Of course.”
Warmth spread through her chest.
Maybe Chloe had been wrong.
Maybe she’d been wrong.
Maybe he was just stressed.
“I’ve got about ten minutes before another meeting,” Mason said.
“So… how’d it go?”
His smile grew.
“I got it.”
Ava gasped.
“You got the internship?”
He nodded.
She threw her arms around him before she even thought about it.
“I’m so proud of you!”
People in the café glanced over.
She didn’t care.
“You did it.”
He hugged her back, laughing.
“I did.”
“This is amazing.”
“I know.”
She pulled back.
“We have to celebrate.”
“We already did.”
“No.” She shook her head. “That was our anniversary.”
“This deserves its own celebration.”
He smiled.
“I’d like that.”
For the first time in two days, everything felt normal again.
She’d worried for nothing.
He still smiled at her.
He still remembered her favorite muffin.
He still wanted to celebrate with her.
Maybe relationships just had difficult weeks.
Maybe she needed to stop looking for problems where there weren’t any.
Denise called from behind the counter.
“Break’s over, lovebirds.”
Ava laughed.
“I should get back.”
Mason nodded.
“I’ve got to go too.”
He kissed her forehead.
“I’ll call you tonight.”
“I’ll be awake.”
“I know.”
She watched him leave with a smile she couldn’t hide.
Denise leaned against the espresso machine.
“You two look happy.”
“We are.”
Denise studied her for a second.
“I hope he knows he’s lucky.”
Ava smiled.
“I think I am.”
Denise didn’t answer.
She simply returned to steaming milk for the next order.
⸻
That evening, Ava stopped by the grocery store on her way home.
She only needed a few things.
Bread.
Milk.
Eggs.
She carefully added up the prices on her phone’s calculator before putting anything in the cart.
Money was tight until payday.
As she reached for a loaf of wheat bread, another hand reached for the same one.
“Oh!”
A deep voice laughed.
“Sorry.”
Ava stepped back.
“No, that was my fault.”
The man smiled politely before choosing another loaf.
“No harm done.”
He looked to be around her age, maybe a little older, wearing jeans and a dark gray hoodie.
There was something familiar about him.
She couldn’t place it.
He nodded once before pushing his cart toward the produce section.
Ava watched him for half a second.
Then continued shopping.
She never noticed that he’d quietly doubled back a moment later.
He glanced toward her just long enough to make sure she’d found everything she needed before disappearing down another aisle.
Outside, the sky had turned shades of pink and orange.
Ava loaded her groceries into the trunk of her old Honda and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Before starting the engine, she smiled to herself.
Maybe she’d been worried for nothing.
Mason got the internship.
They were going to celebrate.
Everything would settle down.
She rested her hands on the steering wheel.
The future still looked exactly the way she’d imagined it.
She had no way of knowing that, only a few parking spaces away, someone sat inside a black SUV watching to make sure she pulled safely onto the road before leaving himself.
He didn’t expect her to notice him.
He preferred it that way.
For now, it was enough simply knowing she smiled again.
- Writer
